There's gotta be a better way

[trikkonceptz]

The Vibe has the 115V outlet in the center of the dash. Why not find the smallest household a/c unit and pipe it directly into the recirc vent under the dash that way by running the fan you will get a/c through the vents. I assume, like me, you close off the passenger side vents? Their may be a small a/c unit available for rv's, or that can be powered by generators. I mean, you do not have to cool off the entire car just the air hitting you in the face right?

[craig5_12]

I know, I know...no swamp cooler...but since this is such a "cool" thread I thought I'd add that you don't necessarily have to use ice. You can get those re-freezable plastic things made for ice-chests and six packs and the like...

[dentprone]

Originally Posted by craig5_12

I know, I know...no swamp cooler...but since this is such a "cool" thread I thought I'd add that you don't necessarily have to use ice. You can get those re-freezable plastic things made for ice-chests and six packs and the like...

Most of us have probably have access to fridge/freezers at work, I was thinking of freezing the big Gatorade jugs.....just put a couple of them in the freezer when you get there in the morning, and use 'em up on the way home. From what I have read on the intertubes, it takes a lot of ice to make this work well.

[dentprone]

"I said no swamp coolers, you ice-totin' freaks!!!" THUD THUD THUD! ***sound of Tango beating us over the heads with an old heater core***

[Tango Charlie]

Originally Posted by dentprone

"I said no swamp coolers, you ice-totin' freaks!!!" THUD THUD THUD! ***sound of Tango beating us over the heads with an old heater core***

Ha Ha Ha! That's the hardest I've laughed in a while!
You ice-totin' freaks!
HEY! I'VE got an idea! I could put my SHORTS in the FREEZER at WORK! Then I could cradle frozen jugs of GATORADE BETWEEN MY LEGS on the way home!
YEAH! That's the ticket!

[dentprone]

mmmmmm.........frozen shorts.......

[azraelswrd]

...well.... at least you'd feel cold as they carted you into the ER with freeze burns on your nether parts.

Refreezable packs could replace ice but I still stand by desiccant agents to get the moisture out of the air. Also prevention of direct sun hitting the glass in the first place will go a long way and making cardboard shades custom fit for the windows and attaching them OUTSIDE of the car with magnets or just blue tape will go a long way to blocking out those pesky infrared waves. (more efficient than in-car behind the window shades since the energetic waves have penetrated the glass and the energy is trapped in the car)

Looks cheap but consider it more theft deterrance.

Also, if you park in the 6th level of heck, I wouldn't leave the vents open. I find A LOT of heat from the outside matriculating in through them to warm up what cool air is left in the cabin. But if your car color is dark ... well.... you're screwed.

[Bicycle Bob]

Originally Posted by SuperTrooper

It's been tried. It works well in a well insulated box or even a building, but the greenhouse of a car requires way too many BTUs/hr for a system that would fit in a car.

I think that if you built the absorber right into the exhaust manifold, with the cat converter, it could be both compact and effective. When your engine is running an AC compressor, you always have twice as much extra energy showing up in your exhaust than you do at the shaft. The surplus heat even from idling should be adequate in most climates, especially if combined with the other suggestions here.

A system might be designed to take advantage of frost build-up to even out the load or even to provide a quick chill on start-up from an insulated chamber.

[trikkonceptz]

Hey Tango ...

Check this out !!! Home

It's an A/c System for rigs that is independant of the trucks fuel and electrical system. Perfect for what you were looking for I think ...

Pick it apart and let us know what you think....

[SuperTrooper]

Originally Posted by trikkonceptz

Hey Tango ...

Check this out !!! Home

It's an A/c System for rigs that is independant of the trucks fuel and electrical system. Perfect for what you were looking for I think ...

Pick it apart and let us know what you think....

You could use this after using the vehicle's A/C system to cool the passenger compartment down. It will only MAINTAIN a cool temp and is designed to be used AT NIGHT. The Manual doesn't say how much it weighs, but for a long haul tractor the weight is a drop in the bucket. Adding a whole extra system with deep cycle batteries to a small car you have to watch the pounds.

Ideally we need an electric drive that attaches to the onboard A/C compessor and gives us the option to switch over to electric drive after the cabin has been cooled by the belt drive. You would still need extra batts and the weight that goes with them. It could be done.